This is the second in the Rachel Krall series. I really enjoyed The Night Swim and was excited to read Dark Corners.
Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster but in this book it is not an important part of the story. The addition of text of the podcast seems like an after thought.
Dark Corners is also about social media influencers …not a plot line that interests me.
The best part of the book is the when the story finally resolves itself … that worked well.

Dark Corners - Megan Goldin

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eARC of this book.

Those of us who read Night Swim will recognize the return of Rachel Krall (a true crime podcaster) who returns to work closely with an FBI detective to investigate a crime that occurs at a teeth-grindingly annoying influencer's award ceremony (tempting fare for any self-respecting killer).

That a detective would consider a podcaster his equal in crime-solving skills pushes the envelope of reality beyond its boundaries.

The podcaster in this novel was actually far MORE effective in solving the crime than the detective, and every word she said was unquestionably correct in his eyes, the cop NEVER seemed to doubt her, and that just did not "read" as realistic.

Note: If you haven't yet read Night Swim and you enjoy Dark Corners, don't forget to add it to your "to read" book list.

Until next time...

Thank you, St Martins Press, for the gifted copy of Dark Corners {partner}

Genre: Thriller
Trope: Missing Women
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 8.8.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

"Dark corners can be danger points."

I read Night Swim by Megan Goldin in 2020, and it has stayed with me. So, when I heard that Goldin was publishing the second Rachel Krall book this year, I immediately requested a copy. Dark Corners had me hooked from the first chapter. It was mysterious and sinister, with countless reminders of the importance of being aware at ALL times.

The book, as a whole, had a realistic tone from start to finish. Of course, the story had some added dramatic flair, but the overall message is — this could happen. There's one point in Dark Corners (and I won't say what happens), but I was holding my breath because I knew what was about to happen, and I've been guilty of the same reckless behavior.

Goldin also takes a hard look at the mega lifestyle influencers of social media and how we should all take them with a grain of salt. It added an intriguing layer to the story as we all follow the influencers with 500k followers who seemingly live glamorous lives - but do we ever get to know them?

I devoured Dark Corners in less than 48 hours. I hope Goldin continues with the Krall series because I need more. She has such a talent for keeping my attention, keeping me guessing, and shining a light on some truly horrific situations.

"Killers receive so much oxygen in the media; it's time to give a voice to the victim."

😍 Romantic aspect (need more in book 3, please)
🤳🏼 Social media influencer angle
🔍 Red herrings
⚠️ Overall message, do not let your guard down

I recommend reading Dark Corners if you enjoy reading Night Swim — the two books can be read as stand-alone, but I have enjoyed watching Rachel Krall's character develop with each book.

When I requested this book I did not realize it was the second in a series. Don't let that deter you, this book can be read a stand alone. I enjoy true crime and listen to many true crime podcasts o that aspect of this story I really enjoyed. It does have you suspecting one person but even with that the story really comes together and was an enjoyable read. I would like to thank Netgalley for a cop y of this book and will be recommending to all my true crime loving friends.

Clunky, Disappointing, Twisty

I read Night Swim and enjoyed it. So I was looking forward to reading the sequel and was excited to get an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. Initially, I was drawn into the story and very engaged. But, there were a lot of characters and a lot going on and it required a great deal of suspension of disbelief. By the end I just wanted it to be over because it became so ridiculous.

Each time I read a Megan Goldin novel, I am instantly impressed! I always get the endings wrong, which I love… it adds to the whole thriller appeal! Her writing is excellent. This one is a must read!

I really love The Night Swim, so i was excited to read the next book.

Social media influencer suddenly disappears after visiting someone in prison. The premise looks so promising.
But unfortunately the book let down my expectation.

The thing is i could predict who was the serial killers. So i don’t get the murder mystery aspect. Then i dont like how the investigation with the lead team Joe Martinez is poor executed. I don’t think he’s an FBI agent with his poor decision. Keep worrying about something without do nothing.

The influencer part it’s not that deep, you can see there’s a bunch of them craving for money and fame. But what really makes them like that, beside of money and fame?

Meanwhile one of the best part of the first book is Guilty or Not Guilty podcast but we don’t get that part in the second book sadly.

I didn’t feel the meaning or connection with the characters. Oh and i didn’t expect this book will contain slightly romance.

I still love the first book more than the sequel.

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me the copy.

This was a DNF at 19% for me. I remember really enjoying The Night Swim, but definitely do not remember having such a visceral dislike for Rachel’s character. I love a complex, unlikeable female protagonist, but Rachel behaves more like a bratty, hostile teenager in her interactions, which makes the dialogue unreadable.

Plenty of other reviewers have enjoyed this book, but it didn’t work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Dark Corners!

I've had The Night Swim on my TBR FOREVER at this point, and after getting an ARC for book two, I decided to binge both books in this series back to back. Because of this experience, I definitely have some mixed feelings when it comes to this book.

On one hand, I enjoyed the plot of this story a lot more. Book one was less about murder and more about an ongoing rape trial. While there was a death that did play a significant role in the story, it wasn't the central focus which was what I expected going in to The Night Swim. So while I enjoyed the way the story was told immensely (through podcast episodes, letters, and coverage over a highly divisive rape trial of a popular teenager), I didn't exactly enjoy the story itself. Book two on the other hand is everything that I was missing from book one plot wise. In Dark Corners, we are back following Rachel as she investigates a missing girl, a murder, and the upcoming release of a dangerous criminal from prison. In book two, the stakes seem higher, the crime is the central focus, there is ZERO courtroom politics to weigh down the plot, and the story moves at a much quicker pace. I read this book in one day I was so intrigued.

However, with that being said, I disliked Rachel A LOT more in Dark Corners than I did in The Night Swim. She almost seems like a different character altogether. She is no longer as soft or likeable as she was in book one. She suddenly is so tough and almost more self absorbed that she doesn't seem like the same woman who read Hannah's letters and went against Pete and her podcast to help a stranger. In this one, it's like she only cares about the case because she was brought in and doesn't want to give it up because she has a crush, not because she was invested in Maddison herself. And for someone who strives to be unrecognizable in book one, I feel like she could have handled many things differently in order to uphold that same pretense here. But instead, it just felt like that entire idea was discarded and she almost paraded who she was in order to gain attention and access.

And that's another thing, I forgot how much I enjoyed having a short mystery novel that didn't need a romance to reach a page count. I have absolutely nothing against the love interest in this book (while I do think he's forgettable, I'm more indifferent to him than anything really) I just didn't think it was necessary for the story. For example, I can assume that Rachel has friends. Take Pete for example. The way they have phone calls, I will assume that in addition to being her producer he is someone she is close to. I could have accepted a love interest in this same manner. What I did not need was fade to black sex scenes that added nothing to an already short story and distracted from what I was really interested in. As a character, Joe adds nothing to Rachel herself and was just there as a man of convenience and in which case, I could have accepted even a quick fling, but multiple paragraphs of mutual pining was not needed in this series or mystery novel in particular. And don't get me wrong, I love romance books, so it's nothing against the genre, I just feel like Rachel was independent and proud and smart, and not someone that would make actual mistakes here because she's suddenly distracted by and obsessed with a man she met less than a week ago.

So while book one had better and more memorable characters and created a more uneasy feeling that has stuck with me as a reader, book two was better paced and had a more interesting plot for what I typically enjoy in mystery novels. I am certain I will continue this series whenever book three is released.

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC of Dark Corners. I was SO excited to read this book because I LOVED The Night Swim (Rachel Krall #1). I thought the character was brilliant and the podcast Guilty or Not Guilty sounded like something I would really listen to if it were real. Rachel seems grumpy in this book? It almost put me in a bad mood reading it. I had a difficult time picking it up until I was over halfway through because I was in a funk after reading. However, after reading the book I felt very satisfied. I love Megan Goldin's writing style. It is extremely easy to follow and if there is a third book in this series I would definitely pick it up! 4/5 stars for me!

One aspect of Goldin's writing I always love is how she brings in modern, relevant topics to her stories. From the Night Swim discussing rape and sexual assault, to Stay Awake touching on law enforcement's occasional disregard of stalkers, she always provides great perspective. In a similar vein, Dark Corners looks at content creators and their seemingly glamourous lives. Unfortunately, I just didn't love this book as much as the previous books I mentioned. I loved the Night Swim for several reasons, and many of those aspects were missing in this next installment of the series. First, the podcast seemed a lot less involved. Following a serial killer was somehow less interesting than the active court case in the Night Swim. Second, the tone shift between the books was very jarring and I think many readers will be disappointed by the change. This felt like a police procedural much more than the first book and took a long time to really get interesting (about halfway through the book was when I finally got interested). Finally, the second perspective in both books (i.e. Hannah in the first book) was totally different from the character's perspective in the second book and I don't think I liked the change. Overall, this was an okay addition to the series. In the future, I am hoping Rachel Krall gets back to her podcast instead of getting involved in an active investigation.

I was very excited for this book, considering that "The Night Swim" is one of my favorite books of all time.

I just didn't connect with this in the same way that I did with "The Night Swim"
I feel like Rachel had a personality swap, and it didn't capture me as easily as the prior book did. She seemed to be more angry in this book, and off putting. I have been rooting for her since the beginning. She was described and portrayed as a badass, doesn't take anything - but she was just angry in this book.

I do feel like there were good parts about this book, I enjoyed the influencer lifestyle portion - I typically do not - but I feel like it was done correctly in this book,
I was hoping for more of the podcast in this book, considering I am a huge fan of mixed media, but alas we didn't really get that in this book.

the mystery aspect was good, and did keep me enthralled through 45% to the end. I think the plot twist were nice, and it was an okay book, just not one of my favs.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

The suspense did have a chokehold on me and I liked mystery of it, I also thought the premise was pretty unique to a lot of things I've read. The main character was just a bit boring for me.

Dark Corners is thrilling second novel in the Rachel Krall series. It picks up just about immediately after Night Swim. Rachel is home briefly from Neopolis before receiving a call from the fbi and flying off to Daytona Beach, Florida. The FBI sends Rachel into a prison to talk to a prisoner hoping to gain information about a missing social media influencer. After the meeting the fbi quickly tries to dismiss Rachel but of course she doesn’t leave that quickly. What follows is a thrilling tale with multiple twists and an ending you’ll never see coming. Highly recommend!

Ooof. I really loved the Night Swim, so this was a bit of a letdown for the second Rachel Krall book. Rachel, the true crime podcaster is back. A rising influencer disappears after meeting with a suspected serial killer days prior to his release from prison. The FBI calls Rachel in for some help. After a meeting in the prison with "serial killer" Terence Bailey, Rachel goes undercover at a big Influencer's convention. More bodies pile up, and more influencers go missing. Is something big going to happen when Bailey gets out of prison?

This time around Rachel just seemed extremely boring to me. Plus, I'm never a fan of the instant love connection - it's so not realistic. Also, the entire ending was the antithesis of show not tell. Instead we had the detective basically go on a monologue about all the murders that happened and why. Boring boring boring reveal. It's like the author just decided to go with all the lame tropes this time around.

Megan Goldin writes another stellar suspense novel that keeps you at the end of your seat and even the most seasoned readers of this genre might guess who's did it, it's the how and why that prove most exciting. If you ever wanted to delve into the inner workings of social media stars and their narcissistic antics with a murderous twist, this is the book for you. Enjoy!

I am a HUGE fan of Megan Goldin, so I was pumped to receive an eARC. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press! If you loved Night Swim, then definitely get yourself a copy of this one! Though this is a follow-up, you do not have to read Night Swim first.
Dark Corners is perfectly suited for today's world of influencers, whereas in this book, one goes missing. The true crime aspects and inside look at influencers lifestyle was a fantastic style of writing! Rachel, her podcast being "Guilty or Not Guilty," is promised an exclusive to an active FBI case, which involves the disappearance of Maddison Logan, the influencer gone missing.
Dark Corners had me up late too many nights! While I did find it a bit lengthy, it was worth every page! This kept me guessing the entire time! I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy when it comes out in August (2023).

This is #2 in the Rachel Krall series. It’s a fun mystery that involves the whole of social media influencers. It was a good read!

Wow! What an amazing read. This book had me kept me on edge throughout the entire time I was reading it. The suspense, the mystery and the writing style was quite well done. Moreover I really loved how certain societal themes were also highlighted. Overall I really loved and enjoyed it

First. I want to note that I absolutely loved THE NIGHT SWIM and was so excited to get another book featuring Rachel Krall. Unfortunately, I feel underwhelmed by DARK CORNERS.

DARK CORNERS felt a bit disjointed, and I didn't feel the same pull to keep reading as I did with the previous instalment. I still felt satisfied by the ending but felt that the build up to get to it was too long.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my #arc!